Saturday, July 16, 2011

"Live in day-type compartments."--Dale Carnegie, Stop Worrying and Start Living

I literally just finished listening to the CD version of this very insightful and helpful book (the first chapter, to be exact)...Due to my slight laziness and to check out the book version in addition to my urge for higher convenience, I had decided to try out the CD--And it helps just as much. :)

The quote above was the main idea given in the first chapter...It's definitely something to think about as you go about your day.

And after reading that quote (and perhaps after checking out the book/the book CD and listening to/reading the first chapter, if you were suddenly motivated :)), what's going to change when you wake up the next morning?

I realized that yesterday was my two-month anniversary of living a non-Facebook life. :) And I couldn't be happier to make those two months extend to many many more months...

It's hard to describe how it feels not to have Fb as part of my daily routine anymore...It's as if nothing has changed, yet at the same time everything has changed.

I have more time to do what I love, and more time to just add more variety to my day. Although sometimes I feel disconnected from the social world, such as by not being in much contact anymore with friends of mine who live out of the country, I mostly feel more confident that you don't always need technology to be in contact with people you care about.

But there are good things about Facebook, and everyone treats the website differently; for me personally, I don't think the ample amounts of time I used to spend in front of the computer were worth it in the long run.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I just took my first bite out of my Chocolate Dipped Coconut flavored LUNA bar, and I have just died and gone to heaven.

I hadn't eaten in at least four hours, because I spent that entire time running all over the downtown area to turn in what seemed like a gazillion job applications and resumes. I did take a half-hour break by sitting in a so-cozy-that-you-feel-like-it's-literally-swallowing-you couch at the Barnes & Noble and read the first 25 pages of a new book by one of my favorite authors...But still, when I opened the lovingly scented LUNA bar with my mouth watering, and my feet red and hurting from walking in uncomfortable shoes and my hair in a giant mess since it was windy outside and my hair is already poofy and wavy, I felt like I just stepped on a cloud that I never want to get off of.

So I shall spend the rest of today congratulating myself on turning in all those applications that literally took the whole of yesterday to fill out, as I enjoy the rest of this delicious snack (or lunch...). :)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

This morning, after waking up to find that I was home alone as my mom had taken my little brother to swim meet practice, I randomly decided to make myself a nice hot batch of healthy blueberry pancakes. :D

Of course, it felt strange that I was making a 6-serving breakfast just for myself, but I wanted to see what it felt like to eat pancakes fresh from the pan, instead of the usual task of waiting half an hour after they're ready to actually eat them (when the pancakes have practically gone stale and lifeless..which would be why I end up microwaving the pancakes..ughh!)...And it. felt. amazing. :)

Not that this means I'll only eat pancakes alone from now on, but now I know that it's not such a bad thing to do once in awhile. ;)

Friday, June 10, 2011

So today, I realized that nearly a month has passed since I deactivated my Facebook account....And I can honestly say that it almost feels as if I never even started using Facebook in the first place.It seems that the website only made social networking and socializing in general so much more complicated! Even though Fb made it easier for me to stay in contact with friends who are living abroad and friends who I don't see day to day, I overall felt some sort of pressure to stay in contact with acquaintances.Also, I just spent too much time on the computer instead of time with family at home.

So I feel like I wouldn't be surprised if I never ended up going back to using Facebook! :)

Since I deactivated it, I've had more time to draw, paint, and just doodle in my sketchbook...Plus I've had a few more conversations with my parents and brother than I did before.. ;) ...Plus I feel more assured that I can hang out with my friends and spend great time with them without having to use Facebook as some sort of catalyst to keep our friendships strong.

So on the verge of week 4 (and counting more weeks) without Facebook, I strongly recommend that you take a short (or long...) break from the website; you will get more out of that than you can imagine. ;)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

You know what it feels like to wake up in the morning and realize that you actually have nothing to do that day?Well, I got to experience that fleeting sense of joy, because I officially have finished my second year of college! :D

I am so excited to have nothing to do over the next four months!Oh and by "nothing" I don't actually mean doing literally nothing...I mean doing things that don't involve studying or going to campus like I've done routinely during the last 9 months--Hanging out with friends, going to my uncle's house with the family, eating lots of delicious food at new places I haven't tried before, and making mix CDs for people I love. :)

I hope either that you are also on the verge of enjoying time off from school/work, or that you're at least setting some time aside for yourself to do what you love.

For example, painting! I might start trying oil paints this summer, because I always used acrylics and recently thought, "Hey, why not try oils too?"

So here it goes, Summer 2011...

Bean out (out and about...).P.S. What do you think of my new blog background? It's quite inviting compared to the flat looking polka dot patterning I had before, if you ask me!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Hello all!,So literally five minutes ago, I walked into one of the best coffee shops in Seattle (I'm not exaggerating--It's actually been called that in a lot of articles I read! ;) )--It's Bauhaus Books and Coffee, and I think I can already call it my second home!

It totally makes sense why people love this place; it's very homey, so much so that you feel like you can even throw your things on the floor like you do when you've just gotten home from a long day at work, if you really wanted to. :)Plus the lively baristas practically take over the cashier counter and the large area behind the counter that almost looks like it infinitely stretches as far as possible. The high walls are decorated by large shelves of books randomly covered by bright, vibrant paintings that echo the liveliness of the outside bustling Seattle world.

I feel like I also came here at a perfect time-not just because I needed to study for my upcoming Art History final in a place where I will be absorbed and not distracted; it's also because of the weather today--It's 75 degrees and clear skies here in the place well-known for 24/7 rainy days! So it's very refreshing and exhilarating to see the entire cafe lit up by the golden sunshine that just makes me want to study even more than I do now.

Well, I guess now I'm going to depart from this blog post and get started on why I actually came here...Time to read intensely about the Taj Mahal and Ramayana paintings (the art history course I've taken this quarter is about Indian Art ;) )!

Enjoy the rest of your day (no matter the weather),

Bean out.P.S. There's a slight chance you'll end up seeing a post about Bauhaus on my Mademoiselle Cochon website, just because I can never have enough to say about things I love XD ...

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Despite the stressful week I've gone through with studying for my upcoming finals (then I'm free for four months without school-YYESSS!! :) ), I decided to post the links to my latest blog posts on my new website, Mademoiselle Cochon.

I hope you will end up either drooling, becoming more motivated, and/or feeling peaceful after reading these posts (I'm sort of hoping you'll drool because of the food posts...Lol)!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Today I saw the movie Bridesmaids with my mom..Which was awkward at first, but soon I was so amused by the movie's funny scenes (..each funny scene was every 30 seconds of the movie..) that I totally forgot that I should have even felt awkward in the first place... :)

The movie was so much better than I expected; the humor was so out-there and hilariously outrageous that at times I didn't know how to react but to laugh! There was also a lot of heart to this movie, as repeated and cliche as that sounds. I even got teary during the most touching scenes between Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig's characters, since most of the movie revolves around how much they value each other's friendship.

I can say with more than 100 percent confidence (and amusement, as I'm still laughing while remembering almost any scene I can think of!) that Bridesmaids is worth the 10 dollars of buying the movie ticket. I assume this is something anyone loves to hear because movie tickets have been ridiculously expensive these days, and people are now looking for the few opportunities where a movie wouldn't end up being a waste of their money.

So here is my blog post, giving you a reason to believe that Bridesmaids will NOT be a waste of your money. :)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Yesterday (or specifically, last night) I made a decision that took me literally a week to make...I decided to give up my Facebook account.I honestly don't know how long it will be before I go back-- a week, a month, or even a day!...But I just wanted to see what it was like to live life without "the social network"...Oh yeah, and I found Fb too distracting from schoolwork and other important things. Sound familiar? ;)

Today's been my first full day without Facebook, and it already seems foreign to me...I feel like I've had a whole range of reactions to this decision I made: The moment I clicked the "submit" button for deactivating my account, I felt a surge of pride and excitement of what the future was going to bring, in this new life to follow that did not consist of words like "pokes" or "wall posts." But when I came home from campus a few hours ago, the realization that I couldn't log on my account anymore (well, really I could still log on since I said that my leave was temporary..But still) almost gave me a feeling of isolation; it's because when you "like" other people's posts or start message conversations with your friends (not "friends" as in the website's broooaddd definition, but as in actual friends..people you know), you feel connected to this large communicating body, making you feel like a part of a gigantic whole.I don't know, at least that's what I felt like whenever I used Facebook, and I always considered that to be a nice welcoming feeling.

But my decision to give up the site was because of how, because of Facebook, I barely paid attention to my hobbies--drawing, spending time with family (not that I never spent time with them because of Fb, but without Fb I feel like I could make more time for them), cooking, writing, etc etc. I have had my sister's old acoustic guitar sitting in my room since last summer, and at that time I set the goal of learning to play it by the end of the next summer...I have barely laid even a finger on it and it's almost the next summer.

So those are my reasons for not visiting the blue-whiteish website. I wonder how it is going to affect me in my daily life and eventually in the long run (unless I become super anxious about "missing out" on what's going on and I end up throwing myself out of bed at 3am to log on the site...But of course that shouldn't happen anytime soon. :) ). I will probably keep you updated from time to time if I do think some things are changing.

Here it goes...

Bean out.P.S. I apologize if my writing in this post has seemed a little jumbled or irregular...I recently caught a bad cold and am trying to listen to my advice of making the best of simple pleasures...Including the joy and excitement I get by writing to people like you!

You know you have a spectacular mother when you're trying to do too many things at once, and she comes in out of nowhere and tells you it's all going to work out. :)

Me personally, I was juggling a billion of thoughts that were going in my head all week, thoughts that made me scared or frustrated or upset (about dealing with my cold while studying for an exam, etc etc). And I think if my mom didn't say her words of comfort to me last night during this antic of mine, I don't think I'd be writing to you how important it is to be even just a small help to someone else when you see that they are in need of it.

Even if it's just a small word of support or understanding, it will make that other person's day just a bit lighter and carefree, because there are people who need those moments every now and then.

Not only am I enjoying the comfort my mother gave me, but I'm also getting a big kick out of the lovely sunshine beaming outside my window right now, as I type the rest of my study guide for my exam (the test is tomorrow, wish me luck!!).

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Hello there!I apologize that I barely touched this website during the last three months.I have posted the link to today's post I wrote for the new website I created, Mademoiselle Cochon. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

What does it mean when you're "over" something or someone? Does it mean the point after days, months, or even years where your mind no longer visits that territory? Is it the last conversation you've had with the person about what you've struggled through together? Or is it just when the entire situation disappears in smoke after having burned in the flames, becoming something totally forgotten and almost without a single trace on Earth?

Well, that flame analogy is a bit of an exaggeration, but it has been a struggle trying to figure out the answer to the question...

I am not going to describe what my personal reason is for asking the world this question, but it has made me wonder how people get past their obstacles and move on.I know the ways to get over struggles, I've read everything about it inside and out, done the random Yahoo! homepage research trips, talked to wisdom-filled people, and listened to recordings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and other inspirations.And even though I feel like I already know everything, I somehow feel blocked from the real feeling of totally having moved on.

Incase you're wondering or confused, it's not about me trying to get over someone, but it's just a situation about people who I love dearly but who I also have a hard time trying to completely understand.

I apologize for having taken you on a sad trip with this blog, but I just thought it beneficial to get my question out incase anyone knows how to answer it or who at least is in the same shoes.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

And if you're wondering why that is, and why on Earth I would start out one of my blog entries by calling myself a pig, you'll just have to wait for the answers until soon enough... :)

You see, a few nights ago I started creating my new website by the name of Mademoiselle Cochon. I don't know when it will be finished, since school starts again tomorrow and I'll need at least a few weeks to adjust to the new schedule before I can get more done for the site..But once I get back on the horse, I'll let you know!...And I don't want to reveal anything about what the website is gonna be like, because I want it to be a surprise :D

So then there you go, a preview description of my diving into a large pool of dark chocolate fondue...That's my weird language for saying, there's my preview description of my new thrilling adventure. ;)

Here It Goes...

Bean.P.S. Don't worry, I will still be just as devoted to Here It Goes as I have been before.